Royal Blue

I've been working on some new imagery for some cedar plank plaques.  Sometimes we visit the Chateau Ste. Michelle winery just to see the beautiful peacocks that live on the grounds.  I have yet to hear their loud cry but from what I understand, they can make quite a racket.

Handmade Polymer Beads

I've been really inspired by all the beautiful handmade beads I've been seeing on the web lately.  Some of the bird beads are pricey to buy so I thought I'd try making my own.    Well, as it turns out, it's really fun and fast and I'm thinking of projects to incorporate beads and more beads.  Here they are drying on bamboo sticks.   They look like yummy little candies.

Mixed Media Polymer Heart Valentines

What is more fun than being inspired by special friends on Valentine's Day?  Whoo hoo!  After baking some polymer hearts, I covered the sides with Washi tape.  I covered the fronts and back with images from my painting stash.  I added some cool numbers that were from an old TV set.  I coated everything in Triple Thick for sheen and dimension.  A few more embellishments were added such as gold leaf pen accents and a metal eyelet.  I strung them on colorful banana fiber and they were ready to go.

Art Beads

I found these lovely rubber coated beads that have such a sparkle to them that I wanted to add my own imagery on top by punching out some circles from other card designs.  I coated the images with Glossy Accents to give them some protection and a nice sheen.  The beads are double-sided and I can't wait to string them, perhaps on a bracelet.  When I hold them in my hand they are like shiny little candies.

Soaring Blue Bird

Blue birdy flying over a color field in blue.  The background was made with collage and pastels that I smeared with my finger.  I love how the colors changed and bled when I painted them with matte medium.  Looks like watercolor but isn't.

Red Garden Postcard

Bursting with energy, and bright color.  I made this postcard to be a backer to some Valentine heart pendants.  I started by dividing my art journal page into quadrants and then worked on all four corners at one time.  This was one of the quadrants and the bird above was another.  The other two didn't turn out as well so only these two made it to be actual postcards.

Pickadoo Postcard

A promotional collage postcard.  My favorite part is the tiny bit of starry night peeking out from behind the theatrical set up.  The leaf and shell are like the actors on stage and the ribbons along the side are meant to be the curtains. 

Color Scape Jewelry Backing Cards

Here are the rest of the backer cards series that I package with pendants.  The cards are approx. 4x6 and all of the photos I took with my camera, not knowing what I would end up doing with them.  I played around with real paint chips and then arranged them to come up with my own "paint sample' collection.  The funnest part was naming each color. 

Etsy Cards

Putting together a batch of cards to go up on my upcoming Etsy shop.  It's been a time of busy production and can't wait to have it up and running.

New Poppy Pendant

Here is my latest pendant design with matching art card.  I have 7 more designs that I'm making pendants for.  I adhere my image to a bead.  It is double sided so that when the pendant swings, it is reversible.  I plan on making many more of these.

Tyson!

"Is it time for a treat?"

I was inspired to make this art piece about a delightful boston terrier named Tyson who comes to my work.  He is a smart, funny little dog that loves to great visitors and help his mom at work.  He is so well behaved and friendly that he makes everyone's day more fun.
The little blue flower is a 3D resin dahlia cabochon. 

I started by taking a picture of Tyson.  This was not easy to do since he doesn't stop moving.  After painting a background and printing out my piece- I coated it with a layer of Triple Thick for a hard, glossy look.  I mounted it on a backsplash tile with a slight metallic finish to give the edge some bling.  I found these cool easel backs that allow you to hang the work or let it stand like a photo frame.  The final size is 4"x4".  I added a Pickadoo Design sticker and packaged it up in a cello bag then it was ready to give.